| djimuzl1. 09. 2023 15:14:14 |
Tour de Mir and Puig Sec
Soon after my unplanned visit to places that offer a diverse selection of hiking trails, I had a guilty conscience because I didn't present them here right away. Well, I'm fixing that now 
The Pyrenees, which lie between Spain and France (with the small state of Andorra "hidden" in them), are geographically divided into Atlantic (or Western), Central, and Eastern Pyrenees (in Spain also called Catalan Pyrenees) – and I ended up on the French side of the latter. I stayed in the town of Prats-de-Molló-la-Preste, located in the department of the same name as the mentioned part of the range - Eastern Pyrenees (Pyrénées-Orientales), the nearest larger city Perpignan lies on the Mediterranean coast, about 50 km northeast.
From the mentioned small town, which has barely more than a thousand inhabitants, to the west – besides higher peaks – the medieval signal tower Tour de Mir is nicely visible, lying at 1530 m on the eastern edge of the ridge of the southeastern foothills of the Pyrenees, which nearby transitions noticeably into high mountains with numerous two-thousanders, up to 2700 m asl.
You can ascend to the tower on a marked path from the mentioned Prats-de-Molló, or reach it via one of the dirt roads leading in its direction from the main road running between the mentioned town on the French side and the Catalan town Camprodon, which has approximately twice as many inhabitants as its French neighbor. Between the two towns over the Col d'Ares pass runs the marked, historically important Retreat Path (of exiles) (Catalan Camí de la Retirada de l'Exili), as Spanish republicans retreated to France along these paths at the end of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), and soon after, during World War II, members of the French Resistance took the same paths.
You can also get near the mentioned tower via the marked ridge path from the Col d'Ares pass, which lies on the border between the two countries, but it runs over bare terrain – so in summer heat, choosing dirt roads that run through almost Mediterranean forest (though there we encounter both spruce and larch) is somewhat more sensible 
To the mentioned signal tower – a network of such communication towers was built in the Middle Ages, at night notification was by fire, during the day by smoke, from tower to tower – we set out on a hot day at the beginning of this year's August – as I already hinted – along one of the shady dirt roads, and a nice view was provided by the ascent to the previously mentioned marked ridge path – and the peak named Puig Sec (1642 m asl). From there it was about another 20 minutes' walk to the already well-visible Tour de Mir. From the tower there's a nice view into the valley, to the town Prats-de-Mollo, but due to the lower position it's not as rich as from the previously mentioned peak. We returned along the same unmarked path, which was approx. 8 km one way.
The spa settlement La Preste, lying at the end of the road in the Le Tech river valley, 8 km from Prats-de-Molló, is the closest starting point for the above-mentioned two-thousanders, the most notable surrounding mountain is Costabonne, cat. Costabona (2464 m asl), beneath which lie former mineral mines too. You can reach it also via the ridge path from the Col d'Ares saddle, which is longer, but from this starting point has 500 m asl less elevation difference.
For better orientation in the mentioned area a map is of course needed – I recommend the product of Spanish publisher Editorial Alpina No. 25: Costabona - Alta Vall del Ter (Pireneu Català), also useful was the Locus LoMaps map of Occitanie (Occitania, the second largest French region where the described area falls) – although Tour de Mir unfortunately isn't on it.
I hope to return to these places soon and next time go on some longer path through the hills and mountains in the vicinity.
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